November 2005

It's December and Santa's in town. (Forget that we don't even do "Santa"...he's still found his way into Calvin's repertoire of characters). I'm glad my kids are as into holiday crafting as I am (or perhaps they're just humoring me). It's been kid-craft central here this week--glue, glitter, scisors and tape, ponpoms, and lots more. Not a single stitch sewn on my machine. (yikes!)

First, there was the wrapping paper-making on butcher block paper. And the gift tags with stamps and glitter followed (there's no time for taking picture when glitter's involved).

And then some serious snowflake production. I love making these because no matter what you do to them, I think they turn out beautiful. Perfect for the confidence of a four year old with sciscors. (Oh, and I got "directions" here from Martha, because I forgot how to make them!). They are now on every window in our house. Every window.

And then the pompom garland, with great inspiration from Heidi. There will be more made for the tree--arriving this weekend.

And then there's Christmas on the Farm to prepare for. Some garland for the house, trees to make and decorate, and some freshly fallen snow too.

(Not a great photo of this fab yarn, but it's the only way I could photograph my hands. I didn't realize until cropping this that I'm (still) wearing a sequined headband from the kids' dress up. I was a very glamorous Tooth Fairy today, if you're wondering.)

These handwarmers are some of my favorite things (are you singing the song yet?). I'm always on the chilly side, and these are just perfect for wearing in the house (after Steve reminds me that it costs money to keep the house heated to 75 degrees. oops.), or out in that in-between weather. And with the right clothes, these mitts also provide a bit of sass when that's required (you know, like when a kid messes with mine at the playground).

Back to the mitts. I've made lots of these for myself and friends, using the Fingerless Mitt pattern from Weekend Knitting (one of my favorite knitting books). This yummy pair is headed across the country to a friend who I hope might love them too. I knit this pair with Patagonia Nature Cotton. (my first time using it, and I'm quite pleased. kettle dyed. yum.) I've seen similar free patterns here, here, and here (I like these ribbed ones a lot).

If I were the blaming kind, I could trace all of this back to my grandmother. She's the one that got me started, long before I was even of speaking ability to have a say about it. She thought that since I was born in 1976, I would need a collection of 1976 memorabilia. Naturally. Above is just a tiny sampling--the rocking chair (I have the matching high chair too), cloth, and plate. But, oh my basement--it's got lots more. Plastic tablecloths, placemats, bottles... you name it, and I've got it with "1976" printed on it.

When I was old enough to have a bit of a say, I took right over in the collecting realm. Visiting her often, we'd go antiquing and yard saling every day. And so, at the tender age of five, I started my first "collection" of my own. Spoons, of course.

After that it was bavarian china (what an eight year old freak I was),then tea cups, and oh-so many other things. And anyone that's read this blog knows that it hasn't stopped. There's the chest full of linens, the pile of vintage aprons, my boxes of vintage patterns. Oy. It goes on and on. I know how crazy I sound. I suppose it's finally time that I admit I'm a "collector" (oohh--that word freaks me out).

So what to do with all this stuff? Well, until I can figure out how to throw some of it out, I guess I'll just always need a big basement. And if my friend Kimberly is correct that the basement is the "soul" of the house, well, I'm royally screwed. Or my soul is cluttered. Or full of lovely things. Depending on how you look at it.

So it's time for the annual entertainment event known as The Holiday Card Photo shoot. And let me tell ya, it gets infintely more difficult (or funny, depending on how you choose to look at it) with each child that's added into the mix. Actually (Ezra's new favorite word that makes me giggle), I'm thinking about bagging the whole card thing this year--I figure if I'm still working on getting birth announcements out nearly three months after the birth, a holiday card just isn't happenin' this year. Besides it's another fabulous lesson in letting go for me (which I've figured out is the only *secret* to surviving with three children..let it ALL go!). But these outtakes are too fun not to share.... I can't believe Calvin was actually wearing "regular" clothes that day--though, check out his belt. Over the sweatshirt, I might add.

Look at that girls sock! I have one stranded baby sock everywhere I look in my house. WHY don't they stay on??!!

and here's one for the sweetness factor (this wasn't prompted--I swear!)

This summer in
flurry of embroidering Calvin's art, I made these squares. They sat untouched until a few weeks ago when I got some inspiration and umpfh to turn them into a quilt. It was a little funky working backwards-- trying to "design" the quilt after I had the squares made--but I think it worked out okay. The brown is overwhelming in the photos, but the quilting on it make it less boring in person, I think. Anyway, here it is completed. (and can I just say how hard it is to photograph a quilt? Wow!).

I really loved working on this, and hope I have the energy to do the same with Ezra and Adelaide's art when the time is right. Trying to replicate his handwriting was loads of fun, and embroidering his art is such a great way for me to get "in" his brain. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the (machine) quilting part of the process (though it did make me long for a new machine!), and *miraculously* there's no "puckering" that I experienced in my first two quilt attempts. The most challenging for me was the binding--not the making of it--but the blindstitching it on at the end took several hours, at which point I was very impatient to have it done (I used DSQ as a reference for binding). Oh, and the best thing is that Calvin approves of the final result of his art.

I'm ready. Now that we've got those silly pumkin and turkey holidays out of the way, I am full-on solstice/advent/christmas here. Wahoo! The snow has arrived, the tree comes in a few days, the advent stocking fun starts on Thursday, Holiday CDs are in rotation, the holiday boxes are up from the basement, and the rolling pin is dusted off. My lists are getting checked off more each day.

And speaking of lists, I have a HUGE one for this weekend (you know, important things like hanging mistletoe)--what a treat to have Papa home for four whole days with no plans or committments to speak of. We even squeezed a movie in with the babysitting aunties in town! Walk the Line was wonderfully done--even for this highly-critical Johnny Cash fan (okay, and can I just say that the last time I went to the movies was to see the first Star Wars--you know, the first second Star Wars. Wasn't that like FOUR years ago? Or more?? Yikes).

But don't fret--even with all these lists and merry making, I've got some crafty content coming up this week--including a mammoth quilting project that I'm psyched about finishing today (it's on the list!). I'm anticipating posting being a bit light this week, but everytime I say that, I end up posting *more*, so who knows.

This month at lunchtime, we've been sharing a "gratitude" with each other. It's been such joy hearing what my little ones are grateful for, that I had to start writing them down. Here are a few of Calvin and Ezra's gratitudes:

Hat wearing season has officially begun here in Maine, and with it--lots of knitting. I've been making this hat for a few years, and it's my favorite hat to make--it's got enough spice to it that I don't get terribly bored knitting it, but it still knits up quite fast (it's a two-movie hat to be precise). The only problem has been that I never write down exactly how I make it. So each fall, I have to fiddle around with the pattern until I remember it again. No more! I wrote it down this time, and here it is for my reference, and for you too, if you're interested.

Yarn: Heavy Worsted (i love to use Manos del Uruguay for this hat), gauge of 4 sts to the inch.You need: size 9 (or whatever size you need to get gauge) circular needles, and dpn's in the same or slightly smaller size for finishing the top.

Repeat the pattern of these five rounds for a total of 5 times (this will make a hat that just covers your ears, if you like it longer or shorter, either subtract or add one more of the five row pattern).

K1, *k4, k2tog* repeat to end of round.K one rowK1, *k3, k2tog* repeat to end of round.K one rowk1, *k2, k2tog* repeat to end of round.K one rowk1, *k1, k2tog* repeat to end of round.*k2 tog* to end of round.

Gather stitches at top and weave in ends.

Let me know if you make it--I'd love to see it, or if you find any errors in it (I hope not!).

Knitter. My grandmothers--one a professional seamstress, and the other a prolific knitter--each tried to teach me to knit several times when I was a child. I didn't get it. I got so confused and frustrated and it never made sense to me. I tried again as a teenager, and then again in college. When I was pregnant with Calvin, I tried one more time (I *really* wanted to be a knitter!). By that time, I had learned enough about my own learning style to know that someone "showing" me how to knit would never work. So instead, I read about it. It was actually a Martha Stewart baby magazine I found that showed the basics of knitting-- with few pictures and lots of text. It was just what I needed...it finally "clicked' for me and I was instantly hooked. I know so many people who have started knitting while pregnant--not sure what that's about, but it's pretty wild. Perhaps it's all the fun knitting to be done for baby--baby hats, baby booties, baby blankets...who can resist? Once I started, I couldn't stop....I would knit while nursing a baby, while reading, and yes, even at stop lights. My knitting production has slowed down tremendously since I began sewing again a few years ago (and perhaps since my life got a bit busier with three children, too), but still...there's nothing for me that beats knitting by a woodstove in the depths of a Maine winter. Heavenly. I love how knitting can simultaneously be an "escape" when that's needed, while at the same time, it can bring me more fully into the present moment with it's meditative nature. And the way it connects me to generations of women before me is so powerful. And handknit treats? There's nothing better....

I'm too tired for a "real" post today (see below for the reason), so here's a bit of randomness for ya.

It's killing me that I don't have a picture to include with this announcement (c'mon, Mom!! Upload those pictures already!)....but I'm psyched to share that my little sister had a baby girl yesterday. Autumn Marie. Yay!! I'm an auntie! I can't wait to meet the little bundle tonight.

And in kitty news, we're still trying to find out if he belongs to anyone, and we're in contact with the shelter. In the meantime, we've been juggling kids, dogs and cat--trying to keep everyone happy, safe and not scared. Oy. Tips, anyone, on the dog-cat living together thing? Calvin's been calling him Mig (from the book Christmas Trolls), which I know means we've pretty much committed to keeping him. Hmn.

And to avoid the post-without-a-picture thing, here's a funny picture of Steve and I in the Old Port last night (where did that second chin of mine come from? Is it there all the time? Hmmn...and it scares me that I think we're starting to look like each other). We went OUT...leaving Adelaide for the first time (who did just fine, thank you!) so we could eat, drink and hear some kick a** live music by Bright Eyes and Feist. It took me three children to finally figure out that a Mama that gets
some time to herself is a much happier, more centered Mama. And so, while I'm very very tired today (I haven't been out past midnight in, um, years), I feel great.

My new favorite tree ornaments. I got all inspired this week by Ezra, who's just started drawing some pretty cool circle pictures (oh, and he's a lefty like his mama--wahoo!), so I wanted to figure out a way to use some of his art, as I've used so much of Calvin's in the past to create things. I started with this patch for his shirt (yeah, his shirt that he CUT a hole in the middle of. This would be shirt #5 that this has happened to. Think mama should move the scisors? na!).

And then I had the idea for the tree ornaments. I scanned the images of a piece of their artwork each, added text at the bottom (name and year), and printed them off at 3.5x5 size onto fabric, using the Bubble Jet Set stuff. Then I cut them up, and turned them into little pillowlike ornaments (stuffed with cotton), with ric rack for hangers. I'm in love with them. I think they'll make great Grandparent gifts, and I want to save some for our tree too. I'd love to do some more--how fun would it be to have a tree with lots of their art as ornaments on it?! But my patience for that Bubble Jet stuff is limited (it always gets stuck in my printer), so we'll see. This might be it.

Here's a batch of totes I worked on as a special order last month, that have just now made their way to their final destination. Working from my fabric stash, we put together these ten bags for her friends for Christmas. Isn't that such a thoughtful gift?

And while I'm dredging up photos of bags I made last month, here's another that I haven't shared here yet. It was for mav of port2port (thanks for the image steal, mav!). This is my favorite, favorite vintage fabric that I'm ever so slowly letting go of. So yummy.

My Back Tack goods arrived! Such fun goodies in here--a drawstring pouch (which will be perfect for on-the-go knitting), lots of old buttons, snaps and zippers, a Patchwork book, some blank "peg people", and iron on transfers. And it's all sitting on top of a beautiful wool Nature Table mat from woolfood.com that she included for the boys. Thank you so much, Jeni! Now I just need some help in tracking you down-- I don't have a blog address or email for you anywhere, so I'm still stumped as to who you are! 'C'mon, fess up!

Update: Ugh! I feel like such a goober! I guess this wasn't my backtack package at all....but a sweet package full of "inspirational goodness" from THIS Jeni! Duh! Thank you, thank you!! Which leaves one question....back tack...where are you??

And...in more fun mail news, this little bib came in the mail for Adelaide as a gift from Kiwibabies. So cute! Thank you!

In other bloggy news...have you seen the marvelous holiday cards popping up everywhere? Of course, there are Amy's new quilt cards, which aren't exactly holiday, but too wonderful not to mention:

And then Tania's new Holiday Cards...I'm so in love with the colors (I've got a slew of paint swatches in this color blue for my bedroom right now.)! And the sweet birdies!

And I just spotted some Holiday Postcards from Rosa Pomar. LOVELY!(note to Amy, Tania and Rosa: so sorry I didn't ask you before snagging these here images. Bad, bad image- stealing blogger, I am.)

And while we're talking about papery goodness, did you all see that mav over at port2port is having a sweet deal on her letterpress stationary for the holidays? I love, love, love my "A" cards...so gorgeous. Thanks again, mav!

For today, I'm going back to the beginning of my mamahood. I found this picture recently, and it brought back a flood of memories and emotions. It's Calvin and I four years ago, in our old apartment...before Steve "found" his career, before Ezra and Adelaide, before our house--it all seems like a million years ago. I was (and still am, I think) a young, young mother. I was 23 when I met Steve, instantly fell in love and married, and decided right away to have a child. Just out of college, really...I spent only two years working. None of my friends had children--or were even close, and I suddenly found myself completely alone and isolated in so many ways. I was full of such a powerful love for this little boy of mine, and yet I was completely overwhelmed... by parenting him, figuring out my new role as someone's wife, and making meaningful connections with other parents. I had all these strong convictions and ideas about how I wanted to parent in a gentle, respectful way--yet it was so unlike any kind of parenting I had experienced or even witnessed much of at that point. This photo is a reflection for me of the complexity of all those feelings together--of my deep love for my child, a strong passion to be the parent I wanted to be, and the immense struggle to make that happen.

Lots of things have changed since that moment....I have so many more resources to parent with; have found myself in a supportive community; and I have lots more confidence in myself, and even a little experience now, as a mama. But the struggle--sometimes ugly, sometimes beautiful-- remains each and every day to really *listen* to my children and myself, and to be the parent they deserve to have.

Self Portrait Tuesday bloggers here, with a great November theme of "Exploration of Identity." Kath, you rock...thanks for making me really think about this each week.

(Did I fool anyone with those those asterisks to believe that I don't have a sailor mouth?)

Would you believe that with the number of bags that I make and have around the house (ridiculous, I tell ya...you should see what it's like when I'm trying to find something that I "must have left in a bag"), that I don't have a bag the right size for carrying all the stuff I need to schlep around three kids for a simple errand? Well wait,that's not true...I do have this one:

THIS is what I've been carrying around the past few weeks. Appalling, I know. Frightening. Disgusting. A big LL Bean tote bag, usually used for groceries. Ugh--it's even dirty. Really dirty.

I could take the pain of looking at that bag no longer, so I cut right into my new stash of Munki Munki goods and whipped this one up one evening last week. Let me assure you, it's HUGE! And I love it.

I have a love/hate relationship (currently leaning towards the hate) with interfacing of all kinds, so I thought I'd try something new. I used two layers of cotton quilt batting on the outer fabric, and "quilted" it--you can see some of the detail in the picture above. I used the batting in the straps too. I do like how soft and thick it is, but without being stiff. But I'm not sure how sturdy it will be after time. (Please, anyone with experience, do tell if this was a bad idea!)

And the inside. You can see, I couldn't just stop at two different prints, but needed to cut into three. I used elastic at the top of the pockets so they'll actually stay closed. Oh, and instead of the magnetic snaps I usually use on bags (that pop open constantly when you stuff a bag as much as I do), I sewed in some ribbon to tie it closed. We'll see if and how that holds up as well.

I love this picture--blurriness and all. I have this really fun obsession with weighing my babies (or any baby that enters this house for that matter), on my digital shipping scales. But seriously--look at the readout on the scale! 13 lbs, 15 oz!! (yes, I "zeroed" out the bowl). I loooooove my big, healthy babies. She's holding her head up lots, smiling plenty, starting to coo, and the biggest milestone of all? Her head has finally gotten bigger than the breasts that feed her. Hooray!

Thank you for all the fabulous suggestions for the garland stocking treats. Fabulous!! I especially love all the non-"stuff" ones--words on rocks, love notes, clues, craft pieces, etc. So many great ideas! You all rock!

When I made these cards (from the Denyse Schmidt book) a few months ago, I knew I'd make them soon again, they were so much fun. And thankfully, a dear friend ordered a bunch from me, so I had the excuse to make lots more. They're the perfect project for me--very quick (since I'm an instant gratification kinda gal), and I use up scraps (which makes me feel oh-so-thrifty).

I'm also figuring out that it's a huge exercise in color for me--I really really struggle with color combinations (really, I do), so this is a great way to play around with color on a small scale. The one below is my favorite combination, I think I'd like to try to replicate it on a larger project sometime.

Oh, and before you start thinking I really don't sleep at night, or that I ignore my children all day while I sew, let me assure you that these were made two weeks ago. They just arrived at their destination, so I can finally post them. So there. I'm going to sleep now. ;)

As far as I'm concerned, the holiday season I really love starts the day after Halloween. It's full-on christmas/solstice around here now...crafts, music, decorating, gifts. Oh yes, I'm sure it's highy annoying to anyone in my life, but I don't care...I LOVE it. I think it has to do with my dear Meme, who started decorating for christmas in October. She had a full room in her house (no joke) just for storing christmas decorations, and she'd literally take EVERYTHING off her walls, counters, shelves, etc...to make way for christmas stuff, leaving no square inch in her home untouched with the holiday spirit. A little insane perhaps. But I loved it. Loooooved it.

Oh yeah, so the advent garland. In my post-Halloween excitement, I've been cranking on these. It was a blast--I thought it would get boring, or I'd run out of ideas on how to make them each different, but the opposite happened-- I wanted more stockings to use all the other ideas I had (yes, yes...we've already established my insanity). I hung it to "test it out" on my window (hence the bad lighting photo above). I used a mix of embellishments, some embroidery, some buttons, etc. And all the stockings are on cordoroy, except the flannel prints. Here are some closeups (and can I just whine about my camera? grr....Santa?? you listening??):

Now I just need to come up with what to put in the stockings each day--without getting lots of trinket-y kid junk. That's one thing for each child, for 24 days. Um, 48 little "things"? Hmnn...ideas welcome!

These gorgeous booties and hat came from Karen at phibetababy.com, a great little online shop for handmade baby and mama treats. She let me pick these out from her store as a gift for Adelaide, and they're just lovely. The booties are cozy, cozy (and great colors, no?), and the hat is too cute (see below for more cutness in the hat). And I love how they happen to match the fabric on this quilt I made. Thanks so much, Karen!

She wasn't so into my idea of a photo shoot, but I love this picture anyway. The goofier she looks, the more I just want to eat her up.

I also wanted to do the great "reveal" for the big project I worked on with mav last month. As most of these have made their way to their intended destination, or are in transit, I think it's safe to post.Isn't it just lovely? Gorgeous, I'd say...fabulous color, lovely letterpressing, and of course, a sweet baby to boot. mav posted some pics of the process on her flickr page. Thanks so much mav for such a wonderful project together!! What a treat!!

Oh and one more webby thing! Go on over to Jessie's to wish her a Happy Birthday today!!

For the November theme of Exploration of Identity. At this point in my life, "parent" is probably at the top of how my identity. I've found myself many times in this image above lately--pushing both boys on the swing at the same time (even though they both know how to pump. hmnn.), and holding Adelaide. While pushing them, I've come up with an amazing number of metaphors for what this means for them, me, our future, and the larger context of the world--but of course, now I'm too tired to remember any of those amazing metaphors. Perfectly fitting for an exploration of the role of parenting, I'd say.

Oh, and if you're in Maine, don't forget to get your butt to your nearest polling place to Vote No on 1 today! If I can get there with three kids in tow, I'm sure you can manage somehow too. It's too important not to!

Have I told you that I failed home ec in the sixth grade? I don't remember why--I do remember something about *right sides together* being very challenging for me (no joke). So I'm thinking that must be why I'm obsessed with the basic pillow form I should have perfected in that class. I must be healing some deep psychological scar with these projects (hee hee). Either that, or I'm just too tired to trust myself with anything more complicated than a bean bag (also very likely). Whatever the reason, here's what I've come up with this weekend:

A whole bunch of eye pillows. Lined, and filled with buckwheat hulls, flaxseeds and lavender. Yummy smelling. Maybe that's why I made so many of them--I'm addicted to the sweet smell. These will be used as stocking stuffers and little gifties for the holidays.

And can you believe that being a sewing mama, my kids had NO bean bags? I fixed that in a big way this weekend. I got carried away using Munki Munki scraps, so the bags of course, all match. ;) I don't know how I got through five years of parenting without bean bags for toys though--man, they're FUN! Juggling, tossing, bowling. Love it. :0 And I filled those with the same filling as the eye pillows--using chamomile too. I have some silly vision of them relaxing my kids as they play with them. Hmnn...

And just so you don't give up on me as a pillow-only sewer, here's a peek at something else I worked on this weekend:

12 down, 12 more to go....whew. Good thing it's still November.

edited to add: lots of you are asking about the eye pillow "ingredients". I got them all at our local health foods store, where you'll find them in the bulk section. Buckwheat hulls and flaxseeds are both around $1 a pound. I used half buckwheat and half flaxseeds to fill the pillows, and about a teaspoon or more of the loose lavender or chamomile per pillow. Hope that helps!

Aren't these yummy? Last night I went to the Parent's Night at our local Waldorf school. They have local craft vendors, parent and child made crafts, and most dangerous of all--the school store. I showed enormous restraint by only getting a few things for the kids for solstice. But I did pick up these buttons for myself. They're by a Portland potter, "Lacey Pots, Buttons, and Tiles," and I believe she has a studio up on Monjoy Hill somewhere (for all you local folk) somewhere near Angela Adams perhaps, and I know that her buttons are also sold at KnitWit on upper Congress. (I just noticed that they have some awesome classes this fall...including a design class with Jil Eaton! Damn, it's full!).

....the alliteration is getting a little out of control around here. ;)

So, I know by now that you've all seen the new Heather Ross fabric line. And of course, I needed to jump right on it and get my hands on some.

Here's my "pink" order from JCarolineCreative. I think they had the fabric first, and you know, my patience is not so great, so I was happy to get this right away. ;)

But of course, that wasn't enough for me. When Cia's Palatte got the line, I had to order the gnomes too. Adorable, aren't they?

I love the new designs, but really, I adore many of the older designs so much (and I love having the jersey option too, which the new line doesn't have). This is why I completely hoard my stash of Munki Munki, and still pay ridiculous amounts of money for pieces on Ebay, like the hopscotch print above that arrived this week. But I totally don't get how ridiculously high the prices are getting for it! My favorite, favorite cardinal fabric (that I used on A's jacket here) just sold for $41 a yard. One Yard! Crazy, I tell ya.

And no, this isn't Munki Munki (it's Alexander Henry, if you're curious), but I got this with my order at Cia's Palatte. It was on sale (I can't resist a fabric sale), and I just loooove it--the colors are gorgeous, I think.

I have no idea what any of this will become. Lots of exciting possibilities!!

My room! (After several photo attempts, I finally figured out that the light in this room is funky any time of day, so this is what you get.)

I've been thinking and strategizing lots lately ('cause that's what I do. I'm a planner.) about what's going to help me through this transition time (of Steve working long hours, of having three small children in my care, of a long fall/winter season that often gets me feeling down). One thing on the top of that list was having my own room--my very own space (which I do believe, we all need in one way or another). So...a few weeks ago, we made it a reality by giving up our office/tv/guest room (ha!) to become MY room. Already, I've fallen in love with having a room of my own. On most days, upon Steve's arrival home, I hand him the babes, and up to my room I go...closing the door
behind me, listening to the archives of my favorite radio shows (currently, I'm running through all the archives of This American Life), and
sewing away my troubles.

It's funny...but photographing the room makes me see it differently than I do with eyes. It looks much more "cluttered" in the photos than it feels to me. There is a lot of stuff in here--as much as love the look of clean, modern style in other peoples space--it really just isn't me. I'm obviously drawn to the more cluttered, dirty look! Ha! I'm so totally rambling...want the tour?

The left side of the room as you enter. (I forgot to photograph the bookcase and coat rack at the back, 'cause they're kind of boring..the shelves hold all my old art books and journals, and the coat rack is for completed bags). More details below.

My fabric corner. Fabric pieces in the trunk below, and then felt, fleece, and interfacings in the suitcases. Ribbon on top vanity case, and 'stuff' (ha!) in the other.

My inspiration board! With my favorite green fabric of the moment. I'm psyched to have this space to put some things on--including some old paintings of mine that haven't seen the light of day in years.

My great grandmother's dining table, with milk crates from my grandparents old dairy farm. Love that--I'm unbelievably sentimental. The crates hold all my vintage knitting patterns, craft books, and jars of buttons. Below the table is all of my yarn and knitting projects. To the left is a few stacked old picnic baskets with fabric scraps, patterns, and embroidery supplies.

And on top of the crates are knitting needles, old tins with various notions in them, and a few of my friends! Some mine, and many from my favorite crafters/artists. Recognize anyone? ;)

And the other side of the room, which holds our hideous computer desk and filing cabinet (ick). And my sewing table--with my machine and serger. Do you see my machine? A Brother PS-1000....oh yes, it's painful sometimes. I've got a paypal account building up slowly to buy a new one, but I keep spending the money on fabric!

Gosh, it feels kind of vulnerable sharing a whole "room" of me. It's hardly grand, and not exactly my "dream" studio space (yet!), but it's all mine and I love it!

(apparently, all the "change" I rambled on and on about a few days ago has only led to me being more long winded in my posts. hmnn....)

Calvin's obsesssed with rhyming and alliterating (can I make that a verb?), and man, it's catchy!
(He andEzra are also into "opera time," which is when you have to sing everything you want to say. i love that).

Thank you, thank you for all the wonderful comments left yesterday about "change". So very much appreciated. I'm exercising great restraint not to reply to everyone individually (I want to!), and that in itself may be the biggest and most helpful "blog change" of all for me. That, and reading fewer blogs (wah!!). But please know that even if I don't reply, I appreciate your words and thoughts. And big thanks to my insightful friend Jean who pointed out that blogging each day is, in a way, creating, and the blog it's own creation--an important one to me, at that. Anyhoo....

I've got a bunch of fun mail lately that all deserves it's own individual post, of course, but I'm going to lump it all together as a "wonderful webby wednesday" because it feels easy, and i'm into easy these days, okay? Here we go:

I'm lovin' this band that I got from Lizette's new Etsy shop. Fun, fun. And now Calvin *really* wants one too....hmm...time to dip into that paypal stash again (I'll never get a new sewing machine at this rate!). Thanks, Lizette! And did you see her super cool packaging? Sooo satisfying to rip into that, let me tell ya.

A while back I bought a copy of Tania's coloring book (available in her shop), and we LOVE it here!! I finally remembered to take a picture of it in action. Thanks for the fun, Tania!

Slightly random, but definitely web related. I finally framed some prints I've had sadly laying around in-waiting for awhile. I went with Amy'srecommendation of the frames over at Dick Blick (love them! Thank you!), and used them to frame a fabulous print by Katey of One Good Bumblebee, and the Tiny Showcase print by Camilla. I thought they should stay together on the wall too....it's SO much fun to have new art up, isn't it? (Whew, how many links can one paragraph have?!)

And has everyone seen the new booklet of knit toys by Jess Hutch.? My copy arrived in the mail this week, and it's full of sweet treats to make. I think I'm going for the snake first. She's got more copies being printed soon, I believe. Oh, speaking of knitting--for some cool goth knitting, check out this place, the Anticraft.

And then, rounding out Wonderful Webby Wednesday (I really need to get out more..I'm enjoying that alliteration wayyy too much)....Lisa once again has spoiled us rotten. I'm now deeming her the "greatest thing finder" ever (Pippi Longstocking, anyone?).....here once again she has found some FABULOUS vintage girls clothes for sweet Adelaide. And THAT DRESS!! Do you see it on the right? The fabulous detail on the front? Oh, it's yummy. And fun postcards and ribbon and ric rack. And a knitting book by a Maine author, that miraculously, I don't have! Yay! Yay! Yay for wonderful webby friends!

Being that Halloween is probably my least favorite holiday (sorry...I know, I'm such a scrooge!), I decided to exercise some "letting go"...and instead of handmade costumes, creative decorations, beautifully carved pumkins and the like.....we had no decorations at all, kid-made costumes, a hunt for a farm that still had pumpkins the day before halloween, and candy that I never thought I'd let in my house. Ah...letting go, or as my mother-in-law says, "they need to have something to be mad at you for as an adult". So there you have it.

"Rabbit the Tabbit," and a "beeeeuuuuutiful princess". More picture on flickr.

As always, I struggle with the fine line of what feels okay to share on the blog and when to just keep it to myself, but here's the basics of what I do want to share: I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by life at the moment. Steve has a big job change happening--starting next week--which, in turn, means lots of changes for all of us. Not to mention the changes that we've experienced by adding another being to our household, and of course, the change in the season. And well, um, I kind of suck at change. (read: huge understatement here!) And then there's the change of my crafting time being cut from about 2 hours a day (yes, I was lucky..I do know), to more like two hours a week....and where does that leave this "craft" blog? Hmn... So, while I wade through all of these many life changes, and head into the too-busy holiday season, things might look a little different around here. Not sure how--or even if--any of this will effect (or is it affect? I can never get those right) the blog. I promised myself that I would stop blogging as soon as it become another chore "to do"...so far that hasn't happened--it's been nothing but fun, supportive and inspiring. So, in an effort to keep it that way, the postings around here might change a bit in the near future--either in quantity (though I DO love posting every day), or they'll take a "lighter" tone, or perhaps I'll just stop replying to comments (but know that I read and love each one! Don't stop!). Thanks for bearing with me...

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Greetings! I'm Amanda Blake Soule - mother of five, author of three books on family creativity, and editor-in-chief of Taproot Magazine. I live with my family in an old farmhouse in Western Maine where we raise animals, grow vegetables and make lots of things. I write about it all here on the blog. Thank you for visiting!